Monday, 1 May 2017

A 50-year-old photographer died in Ibadan, after he was allegedly
tortured by some men of the Oyo State Special Anti-Robbery Squad at
their Dugbe Headquarters. According to family sources, friends and
neighbours, the man was arrested on Friday, April 21, alongside four
others during a raid at a spot for allegedly smoking Indian hemp.
Samson Akindele, Head of News at Fresh 105.9 FM, Ibadan, who confirmed
the incident said that the men were brutally tortured at the SARS
detection facility at Dugbe, with what they claimed looked like hockey
sticks and other iron materials. It's believed that the man died from
the torture due to internal bleeding.

"My investigation further revealed that each of the other suspects’
relations and friends had to pay nothing less than N30,000 to get
bailed after days without food." said Akindele.

It was gathered that the deceased was unable to reach his family because
his phone was seized and having realised that he could die in
detention, the policemen were said to have quickly released him to a man
who brought him to his house after paying N3,500 as bail.
According to the man, the police reduced the bail money to N5,000 but
when he could not raise up to that, they hurriedly released the
deceased to him.
But on getting home, as the man was being helped to alight from the
motorcycle (Okada) that brought him home, he gave up the ghost just at
the front yard of the house.

"From the taped interview I had with one of those arrested and detained
with the deceased, he never smoked cannabis, even though he
(co-suspect) admitted doing so," said Akindele.

"Neighbours also attested to the simple lifestyle, industry and good
neighbourliness of the man. They all opposed to the Indian hemp theory
woven around the man they loved to see around," he said.

Meanwhile, family members have reported the matter at the Orita Police
Division and have contacted pathologists to examine the body to
determine the real cause of death.
Source: PM News
Photo credit: Samson Akindele